CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
can Casino Magazine called the “Sexi
est Casino in the Nation!”
Titles have been awarded to some
very large and beautiful Indian casi
nos in past years, such as Mystic Lake,
Foxwoods, Barona, etc. by Native
American Casino Magazine. This year
we came in ahead of all of them.
The NAC award was presented by
Melanie Dallas of the national NAC
Magazine prior to the Lee Ann Womack
show on June 20. The May 2008 issue
of the magazine featured photos of
Chinook Winds and stated:
Visit by Smith and
Wyden Staff
It isn't often that we are visited on
site by representatives of the United
States Congress and/or their staffs.
What better way for members of the
Congress to find out about our Tribes
than by firsthand visits to our reserva
tion, face-to-face contacts with our
Tribal members and dialogue with our
program staff.
Too often, regarding Indian issues,
our congressional representatives are
only presented verbal descriptions of
who we are, where and how we live,
and our educational, social and mate
rial programs and issues. We often wish
our representatives would come and
see for themselves how we live, what
we have accomplished and to person
ally experience the burning issues that
we have yet to deal with.
That is exactly what happened this
past month when we welcomed staff
members from the offices of Senators
Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden. It’s al
ready well-known that Smith, who hap
pens to be a Republican, and Wyden,
a Democrat, communicate and work
cooperatively with each other when
ever they can. This holds true for their
staffs as well.
We were able to give them a tour
through our clinic, our housing
projects, the child care center, commu
nity center, our administration building
and our Dance House.
We had an opportunity to show our
visitors our community health clinic in
operation. They took the time to talk
personally with clinic staff and in turn
heard from our staff their concerns
about the need for increased health
care funding.
It's the staff members who are ex
pected to provide to their congressmen
verification of what they have learned
from these site visits. It’s our hope that
both Smith and Wyden will join Sen.
Byron Dorgan's initiative to increase
Indian health care funding (many of
Delores Pigsley
you may already know that Sen.
Dorgan serves as chairman of the Sen
ate Indian Affairs Committee, as well
as chairman of other committees, and
has been very vocal in his efforts on
behalf of Indian Tribes, in particular,
Indian health).
To round out their personal expe
riences on our reservation, the visitors
were welcomed at our traditional
Dance House with a warm fire and
highlights of our Tribal history. We
wanted our visitors to understand that
the Dance House reflects a vital part
of our spiritual life and cultural history.
We appreciated the opportunity to
show our accomplishments firsthand.
We often speak with the senators and
their staffs in an office setting - their
offices - so it was nice to be able to
show them around - and for them to
personally experience and speak with
us on our land.
Chinook Winds Casino
Resort - NAC’s 2008
Sexiest Casino
What many of you may not know
is that the Siletz Tribe recently received
high accolades for what Native Ameri
“Majestically overlooking the
Pacific Ocean from the Lincoln City,
Oregon shores, the 157,000-square-
foot Casino Resort is Oregon's premier
casino.”
The article also featured photos
of the interior waterfall area and the
golf course.
The criteria for the award were
based on overall operation of the ca
sino and the overall appearance. It de
scribed the casino's entertainment,
other family entertainment features
such as the arcade and child care cen
ter, and other amenities such as the
hotel and golf course.
We are proud of our casino and all
the staff, and appreciate the magazine
for presenting to us this outstanding
national recognition.
Most Often
Requested
Numbers
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
1-800-922-1399
Salem Area Office
503-390-9494
Salem Finance Office
1-888-870-9051
Portland Area Office
503-238-1512
Eugene Area Office
541-484-4234
Springfield Siletz Tribal Head Start
541.747-0161
Contract Health Services (CHS)
1-800-628-5720
Siletz Community Health Clinic
1-800-648-0449
Siletz Alcohol and Drug
1-800-600-5599
Chinook Winds Casino Resort
1-888-244-6665
Chemawa Health Clinic
1-800-452-7823
Bureau of Indian Affairs
1-800-323-8517
Web Site
www.ctsi.nsn.us
(SRinook Winds
CASINO RESORT
Restoration CD Available
If you attended the Restoration Celebration, you saw a CD of Tribal
history and old photos that was played during the event. We are making that
CD available to Tribal members at no cost. You need to fill out a request
form (available on the Tribal Web site - www.ctsi.nsn.us) and send it to
Diane Rodriquez, c/o Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, P.O. Box 549,
Siletz, OR 97380-0549.
The CD is restricted to one per Tribal member and each Tribal member
must request their own. For questions, please call Diane Rodriquez at 800-
922-1399, ext. 1291, or 541-444-8291.
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Siletz News Letters Policy
Send letters to:
Siletz News, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians,
is published once a month. Our editorial policy encourages input from read
ers about stories printed in Siletz News and other tribal issues.
All letters must include the author's signature, address, and phone num
ber in order to be considered for publication. Siletz News reserves the right
to edit any letter for clarity and length, and to refuse publication of any
letter or any part of a letter that may contain profane language, libelous
statements, personal attacks, or unsubstantiated statements.
Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submission. Published
letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Siletz News, Tribal employ
ees, or Tribal Council.
Please type or write legibly. Letters longer than 450 words may be ed
ited for length as approved by Tribal Council Resolution #96-142.
Siletz News
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380-0549
541-444-8291 or
800-922-1399, ext. 1291
Fax: 541-444-2307
E-mail: pias@ctsi.nsn.us
Please note: The general man
ager of the Siletz Tribe is the editor-
in-chief of Siletz News.
2
•
Siletz News
•
July 2008
Editor-in-Chief: Brenda Bremner
Editor: Diane Rodriquez
Assistant: Natasha Kavanaugh
Deadline for the August issue
is July 10. Submission of articles and
photos is encouraged. Please read the
Passages Policy on page 23 when
submitting items for Passages.
Siletz News is free to enrolled
• Siletz Tribal members. For all oth-
1 ers, a $12 annual subscription fee
applies. Please make checks payable
to CTSI and mail to Siletz News.
| Name:_________________________ |
Address:_______________________ 1
I Phone: ________________________
Change of address: Tribal mem-
• bers - call the Enrollment Department
I at 541-444-8258 or 800-922-1399,
Member of the Native American
Journalists Association
’
•
‘
1
ext. 1258; all others - call the news-
paper office.